Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Codes of practice
Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used
Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements
Standards, codes, procedures and/or enterprise requirements may include:
Australian and international standards, such as:
AS 2252 Biological safety cabinets
AS ISO 17025-2005 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
AS/NZS 2243 Set:2006 Safety in laboratories set
AS/NZS 2982.1:1997 Laboratory design and construction - General requirements
AS/NZS ISO 14000 Set:2005 Environmental management standards set
AS/NZS ISO 9000 Set:2008 Quality management systems set
cleaning, hygiene and personal hygiene requirements
enterprise procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and operating manuals
guidelines, policies and business rules of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service that are operable from time to time
Human Tissue Acts and regulations operable in Australian jurisdictions
incident and accident/injury reports
instructions to comply with legislation, standards, guidelines and codes
Guidelines for Pre-transfusion Testing, published by the Australasian Society of Blood Transfusion
quality system and continued improvement processes
safety requirements for equipment, materials or products
sampling procedures (labelling, preparation, storage, transport and disposal)
schematics, work flow and, laboratory layouts
statutory and enterprise occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements
stock records and inventory
test procedures (validated and authorised)
training program contents
waste minimisation, containment, processing and disposal procedures
Equipment, materials and systems
Equipment, materials and systems may include:
centrifuges, light boxes, calibrated pipettes, water baths, incubators and microscopes
laboratory information management systems (LIMS), computer databases, record and filing systems
general laboratory glassware and equipment identified with a serology laboratory
antisera and phenotyped red cells and other relevant reagents
gel systems
Communication
Communication may involve:
supervisors and managers (laboratory, quality and customer service)
other laboratory or relevant medical or nursing personnel
patients and clients
external auditors, or accreditation agency (e.g. National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA))
couriers
Occupational health and safety (OHS) and environmental management requirements
OHS and environmental management requirements:
all operations must comply with enterprise OHS and environmental management requirements, which may be imposed through state/territory or federal legislation - these requirements must not be compromised at any time
all operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied
where relevant, users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and State and Territory Departments of Health

EVIDENCE GUIDE
The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors should ensure that candidates can:
perform tests accurately and organise work so that the needs of all relevant patients and clients are met in a timely fashion
detect and record accurate evidence of blood group antigen and antibody reactions
recognise problems in systems and documentation
use enterprise information systems efficiently
critically analyse information/documents
prepare documentation that is accurate, concise and in accordance with enterprise requirements
manage tasks and organise work to ensure the timely release of blood and blood products, as they complete routine tasks
use samples, reagents and materials economically and dispose of wastes safely
use equipment safely
maintain equipment, recording and report malfunctions appropriately.

Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.
This unit of competency may be assessed with:
MSL934002A Apply quality system and continuous improvement processes
MSL975002A Perform haematological tests.
Resources may include:
standard transfusion/immunohaematology laboratory with relevant equipment, samples and reagents
enterprise procedures, test methods and equipment manuals.
Under duty of care requirements, off-the-job training providers should ensure that blood samples are known to be antibody free for hepatitis B and C, syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but this does not preclude the use of universal precautions in the use of blood samples.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested:
review of results/data/records generated by the candidate
feedback from peers and supervisors that enterprise procedures were followed and that work is consistently performed in line with enterprise requirements
oral and/or written tests and paper problems associated with ABO group determination, antibody identification and record keeping
integrated assessment with a case focus, such as the routine pre-transfusion cross-match, an antenatal antibody detection and preliminary identification, batch of routine ABO and Rh(D) groups to be completed at the same time as completion of a pre-transfusion battery of tests.
In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly.
Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.
Access must be provided to appropriate learning and/or assessment support when required.
The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work like environment.

This competency in practice
Industry representatives have provided the case study below to illustrate the practical application of this unit of competency and to show its relevance in a workplace setting.
Biomedical
A patient's blood sample and request form have been brought to the laboratory. The patient is to undergo elective surgery the next afternoon. The technical officer has been asked by the supervisor to determine the patient's ABO and Rh(D) blood groups, to screen the sample for irregular blood group antibodies and to cross-match two units of packed red cells in readiness for possible use during or after surgery. The technical officer checks the records for information on the patient. Finding none, they prepare the required data in the laboratory databases and then perform the required tests. They do not detect any irregular antibody and have had no difficulty in choosing suitable units for cross-matching. They complete the required documentation and labels and then store the compatible blood units for possible later use.